DK Life Stories Nelson Mandela

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Transcript of DK Life Stories Nelson Mandela

Page 1: DK Life Stories Nelson Mandela

by Stephen KrenskyIllustrated by Charlotte Ager

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Page 2: DK Life Stories Nelson Mandela

by Stephen KrenskyIllustrated by Charlotte Ager

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Page 3: DK Life Stories Nelson Mandela

by Stephen KrenskyIllustrated by Charlotte Ager

Life Stories

NelsonMaNDELA

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Senior Editors Marie Greenwood, Allison Singer, Roohi SehgalSenior Designer Joanne Clark

Editor Kritika GuptaArt Editor Kanika Kalra

Jacket Coordinator Issy WalshJacket Designer Dheeraj Arora

DTP Designers Sachin Gupta, Ashok KumarPicture Researcher Aditya KatyalPre-Producer Sophie Chatellier

Producer Amy KnightManaging Editors Laura Gilbert, Monica Saigal

Deputy Managing Art Editor Ivy SenguptaManaging Art Editor Diane Peyton Jones

Delhi Team Head Malavika TalukderCreative Director Helen Senior

Publishing Director Sarah Larter

Subject Consultant Dr. Matthew GrahamLiteracy Consultant Stephanie Laird

First American Edition, 2019 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018Copyright © 2019 Dorling Kindersley Limited

DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC

19 20 21 22 23 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001–314132–July/2019

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication

may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the

prior written permission of the copyright owner.Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.ISBN: 978-1-4654-8400-0 (Paperback) ISBN: 978-1-4654-8399-7 (Hardcover)

DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions,

premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:DK Publishing Special Markets, 1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018

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A WORLD OF IDEAS: SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW

www.dk.com

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Dear Reader,Nelson Mandela was a man of his time. How could he not be? There was no way for him to ignore the challenging circumstances of his childhood and young adult years. Born into a deeply prejudiced South Africa in 1918, he grew up to witness firsthand his country’s official apartheid policy.

And yet he was a man whose actions transcended his own time as well. His enemies released him in 1990 after 27 years of imprisonment. At such a moment, many leaders in his position would have sought revenge under the guise of justice.

But not Nelson. What did he do instead? He showed a remarkable capacity for forgiveness, a willingness to put the past aside and concentrate on the future. As he stated so clearly, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, then you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”

Nelson Mandela bravely partnered with the white South Africans that had kept the black population under their thumbs for so long. In doing so, he both saved his country and set an example to the world.

Stephen Krensky

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freedom

life

behind bars

Revolutionary

thoughts

Troublemakerpage 8

page 70

page 60

page 44

The life of...NelsonMandela

1

67

8 9

Raising

the stakespage 52

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A new HOME

Fighting

for a cause

Shifting gears

Remembered

Revolutionary ideals

Getting an

education

Growing up Fast

page 14

page 28

page 36

page 90

page 100

page 80

page 20

The life of...Nelson

23

45

10

12

11

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At birth, his father gave him the name Rolihlahla (khol-ee-HLAA-hlaa). Its literal meaning is “pulling the branch of a tree,” but informally it means “troublemaker.” Nobody claimed that the name was a sign of things to come—but nobody said it wasn’t, either.

Rolihlahla’s father, Gadla Henry Mandela, was a member of the royal house of the Thembu

tribe. His job was advising people and he was well respected for his opinions. Baby Rolihlahla lived with his mother, Nosekeni Fanny,

in Mvezo (oohm-VEH-zoh).

TroublemakerOn the day Nelson Mandela was born—

July 18, 1918—his name was not Nelson.

That name would come later.

Chapter 1

AFRICA

MvezoSouth Africa

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Mvezo was a village on the Mbashe River. It lay deep in the Transkei, a land of gentle hills and shallow valleys 600 miles (965 km) from the big South African city of Johannesburg.

Their home in Mvezo was called a kraal. A kraal is a small farm, with just a few animals and crops, that could support a single family. Rolihlahla’s father saw him at the kraal regularly, but for only a few days at a time. Gadla Henry’s responsibilities often took him away from home. He had three other wives and many other children to care for. Rolihlahla was the youngest of his four sons, which did not make him very important.

The Mbashe River winds through the Transkei area.

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At the time the native people of South Africa were part of the British Empire. Dutch colonizers had first arrived in South Africa in 1652, and they

had not come just to visit. Instead, they had come to settle, and they spent the next 150 years f ighting with local tribes until they f inally achieved control over the region.

However, their victory was short-lived. In the 1800s, soldiers and pioneers from Great Britain aggressively settled in South Africa. This led to a series of wars that f inally ended with a British victory in 1902. Eight years later, South Africa was granted some independence—but it remained in the British Commonwealth, under the f irm control of British and Dutch descendants.

People who create a new settlement in a foreign land. Colonizers of South Africa created settlements without caring what the native people thought.

What are colonizers?

DID YOU KNOW?

Afrikaans, the language of South Africa today,

is mostly Dutch with some differences in vocabulary

and grammar.

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CLASH OF THE COLONIZERS

The Anglo-Boer War was a war of independence fought between the Dutch descendants in South Africa and the British Empire that ruled them. It began in 1899 and ended with a British victory in 1902.

British troops ride into battle during the Anglo-Boer War.

The British and Dutch control over South Africa included control over the land’s native people. Where could they live? What education could they receive? Which jobs could they have? These issues were harshly regulated. Certain jobs gave some people power over their fellow black Africans, but no jobs gave black people authority over their white neighbors.

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Little Rolihlahla knew none of this, of course. Even so, the outside world soon intruded on his own life. When he was barely a year old, his father got into a heated disagreement with a local white magistrate. The complaint itself was small—something about an ox—but Gadla Henry made an issue of it by defying the magistrate’s order that he

look into it. Gadla Henry was a member of his tribe’s royal family, a descendant of kings. He felt that a mere magistrate should not be able to order him around.

Gadla Henry may have been right in his belief, but he paid dearly for his views.

A government off icial who administers certain laws in a specif ic area. The magistrate in Gadla Henry’s town was strict.

What is a magistrate?

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Black men, even descendants of kings, held power only with the permission of the all-white government. The members of that government did not like seeing their authority challenged. The magistrate dealt harshly with Gadla Henry, taking away much of his land and fortune. This decision sent a clear message to anyone who might share his views.

Among the possessions the magistrate took away was the kraal where Rolihlahla and his mother lived. Under the existing laws, they had no right to argue with this decision.

All they could do was move.

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It was a nearby village, home to only a few hundred people. It was smaller than Mvezo, but the land was much the same, with grassy

fields and hills fed by bubbling streams.Gadla Henry’s kraal in Qunu consisted

of three domed mud huts with thatched roofs. One hut was used to sleep in,

and the other two were for cooking and storing food. The f loors of the huts

were made of crushed “ant-heap,” which is the hard dirt above an ant colony. Rolihlahla’s family used fresh cow poop to keep the f loors smooth. There was a hole in the

A new homeRolihlahla’s family needed a new home, and they

didn’t have to look far. Gadla Henry still owned

some property, including a kraal in Qunu.

Chapter 2

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roofs for cooking smoke to escape through. The only way in or out of each hut was a low doorway.

None of the huts had any wooden furniture. Everyone slept on mats. Outside, there were fields to grow crops and pens for the farm animals. The kraal was not fancy, but it was a comfortable place to live and it allowed Rolihlahla’s family to be self-suff icient.

In the nearby fields, Rolihlahla learned to use a slingshot. Like many boys his age, he became skilled enough to shoot birds out of

the sky. Later in life, he remembered learning “to gather wild honey and

fruits and edible roots, to drink warm, sweet milk straight

from the udder of a cow . . . and to catch fish with twine and

sharpened bits of wire.”

Being able to survive on your own. Because Rolihlahla’s family grew their own food on the kraal, they were self-suff icient.

What does “self-sufficient ” mean?

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Besides f ishing and gathering food, Rolihlahla played games, too. The most popular was called thinti. Rolihlahla also spent time mastering the art of stick fighting. This was a kind of swordplay that featured thrusts

and parries, feints and lunges. All the while the participants danced back and forth as nimbly as they could.

Rolihlahla liked the time he spent exploring the land and playing games with his friends, but his parents knew he had a quick mind, worthy of great achievements. His parents could not read or write, but his mother wanted Rolihlahla to do both, so they decided to send him to school.

PLAYING THINTI

Thinti was a game that featured two sticks that were used as targets about 100 ft (30 m) apart. Two teams of boys would each defend their target while trying to throw sticks at the other team’s target. Whoever knocked down the opposing team’s target would win.

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Until he went to school, Rolihlahla had always worn the traditional clothes of his village: a blanket that wrapped over one shoulder and pinned at the waist. At the Methodist school his mother had picked, however, the students dressed in the Western style, which meant wearing a shirt and pants.

A shirt was found for him quickly enough, but pants were more diff icult, so Rolihlahla’s father cut off a pair of his own trousers. They were roughly the right length, but much too big around the middle. However, with a rope tightened through the belt loops, they stayed f irmly in place. Rolihlahla knew the pants did not really fit properly, but they were his father’s pants. He was proud to wear them.

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One of the first things Rolihlahla’s teacher, Miss Mdingane, did with the new students was to give them each an English name. At the time, being

called by an English name was considered better than being called by an African one. Since the boys were about to receive a British education, the teachers believed each student should have an English name to match. The British didn’t believe African culture was important. They thought British culture was superior.

From the moment Miss Mdingane gave him his English name, Rolihlahla would never be known as such to anyone outside his family again.

DID YOU KNOW?

English names were thought to be better than

African ones, partly because the British colonizers found

them easier to say.

Better than something. The British thought that their culture was superior to African culture.

What does “superior” mean?

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His new English name was the only one that would be used in school, and it was the name he would be known by from that day on.

Rolihlahla never learned why Miss Mdingane picked the name for him that she did. It was true that his new first name was the same as the last name of famous British naval hero Admiral Lord Nelson—but Rolihlahla didn’t know if that was the reason he got it. All he knew for sure was that from that day on, he was known as Nelson.

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One night, though, Nelson’s father arrived home at an unexpected time, and the reason for this soon became clear. Gadla Henry was very sick. He had trouble breathing, and could barely move. A few days later, he died.

Naturally, the death of his father was a significant moment in Nelson’s life, but its importance went beyond losing a parent. Shortly afterward, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, whom Gadla Henry had long advised, became Nelson’s guardian.

Growing up fastFor the next two years, Nelson’s life in Qunu

was comfortable. He went to school, did chores

around the kraal, and played with his friends.

Chapter 3

A person who is responsible for a child. The chief became Nelson’s guardian and looked after him as one of his own.

What is a guardian?

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Nelson’s mother, Nosekeni Fanny, told her son that he was to be sent away to the king’s home, known as the Great Place, in a village called Mqhekezweni (mu-KEH-zuh-when-ee). Nosekeni Fanny knew that by going away, the opportunities that would open up for Nelson would be far beyond what his mother could provide for him. Although she knew she would miss her son, his mother wanted the best for him.

Nelson adjusted quickly to his new life. He missed his mother, but, as he later wrote,

The king’s compound in Mqhekezweni

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This photograph of Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo and his wife was taken in 1930, which was around the time Nelson came to live with them.

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he found Mqhekezweni to be “a magical kingdom; everything was delightful . . . When I was not in school, I was a plowboy, a wagon guide, a shepherd. I rode horses and shot birds with slingshots and found boys to joust with.”

Nelson did well in school and got along well with Jongintaba’s son, Justice, and daughter, Nomafu. He ate what they ate and wore what they wore. Jongintaba and his wife treated Nelson fairly and with care. “Jongintaba was stern, but I never doubted his love,” Nelson later said. The chief affectionately called Nelson by the name Tatomkhulu, meaning “grandpa,” because Nelson so often looked very serious.

Not everything was easy, though. At home in Qunu, everyone simply used their

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f ingers to eat, but in Mqhekezweni forks and

knives were the custom. Nelson was not used

to them, and he was embarrassed about looking clumsy at

meals. There were days when he ate less than he wanted for fear of looking foolish while fumbling with his utensils.

As time passed, the two anchors of Nelson’s life became his education and his time in church. Until that point he had always considered the white European colonists as helpers to the black native people. Now, as a teenager studying history, geography, English, and the Bantu language Xhosa (KAW-suh), he began to see a different picture.

Visitors who came to the Great Place, especially a chief named Joyi, expressed the idea that the African people had been far better off on their own before the white men arrived. Nelson’s emerging sense of

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Christianity was also troubled by the limitations imposed on black people. He believed the church was the ultimate moral guide for how people should behave toward one another—but if this were true, he wondered, how could the church support the oppression of the black people in its community?

At 16 years old, Nelson had reached the age at which the tradition of his tribe expected him to become a man. As a man he would be able to marry, own property, and participate in tribal ceremonies. In order to achieve his new status, Nelson, along with 24 other boys his age, took part in several rituals to mark this important occasion.

Nelson felt an understandable pride and satisfaction at having reached this point in his young life. His mood was sobered, though, by the main speaker of the day, Chief Meligqili

DID YOU KNOW?

The Zion Christian Church, founded in 1924

by native Africans, is now the largest church

in South Africa.

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(mel-leek-qwee-lee). Even years later, Nelson was to remember the chief ’s grim words.

“There sit our sons,” said Chief Meligqili, “young, healthy, and handsome, the f lower of the Xhosa tribe, the pride of our nation.” However, Chief Meligqili was not hopeful about their futures. He declared that all black South Africans were “slaves in our own country.” Therefore, the harsh truth was that the hopes and dreams of the boys would never be fulfilled. This was because the boys could not receive “the greatest gift of all, which is freedom and independence.”

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“We have promised them

manhood ... a promise that can never be

fulf illed.”

Chief Meligqili, as quoted in Nelson’s autobiography, Long

Walk to Freedom

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In the chief ’s eyes, the first thing Nelson needed was a more complete education. One day, if all went well, he expected that Nelson would become an advisor much like Nelson’s father had been before.

Nelson was sent to the Clarkebury Boarding Institute, in the town of Ngcobo. The school buildings were Western in style rather than African.

Getting an educationNelson did not live at a time or in a place where

he could expect to choose his own future. That

decision was in the hands of Chief Jongintaba.

Chapter 4

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Nelson was introduced to the headmaster, the Reverend Mr. Harris, in his study. The reverend was warm and friendly toward Nelson, and they shook hands. Nelson was to remember later that it “was the f irst time I had ever shaken hands with a white man.”

In his old school, Nelson was respected because the chief was his guardian—but at Clarkebury, nobody knew who Nelson’s guardian was. And nobody cared. At Clarkebury, only Nelson’s abilities and achievements would set him apart. Nelson knew that gaining respect from his teachers and fellow students would not be easy, because he had not yet excelled inside the classroom or outside on the playing f ields.

In the beginning of his time at Clarkebury, if Nelson stood out at all, it was because he looked like he didn’t belong. On the first day

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of classes he had to wear boots for the f irst time, and his feet clattered so much on the polished wooden f loors that some of his classmates laughed at him.

Three years later, in 1937, when Nelson was 19 years old, he moved on to Healdtown. Healdtown was a Methodist college in the town of Fort Beaufort, almost 200 miles (325 km) away.

At f irst, Nelson felt that it was almost like visiting another planet. Flush toilets were new to him. So were pajamas and toothpaste. (Before coming to Healdtown and learning what toothpaste was, Nelson whitened his teeth by rubbing ash on them.)

Nelson at 19 years old

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The schedule there was rigorous. Breakfast was early, at 6:40 a.m., and it was nothing more than dry bread and hot sugar water. The morning was f illed with four hours of classes. Lunch, which was at 12:45 p.m., usually featured sour milk and beans, and dried corn kernels, called samp. Classes continued for another four hours, followed by a break for exercise and dinner. An evening of homework ended with lights out at 9:30 p.m.

At Healdtown, Nelson participated in school sports for the f irst time. He took up cross-country running and boxing, both of which took discipline and helped him f it in with other students. At f irst he was not especially good at either, but through practice—and by gaining a few more pounds of muscle—he soon improved.

As for his classroom education, Nelson was not just gaining academic knowledge.

Samp was often mixed with beans.

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He was also gaining a better understanding

of the limitations a black man faced in the white man’s world. This growing awareness

continued to build as he moved on to the University

College of Fort Hare, in the town of Alice, in 1939. There, as at his other schools, he remembered being taught that he should respect the political authorities and be thankful for the educational opportunities given to him by the church and by the government.

As his thinking grew more sophisticated, though, it was diff icult for Nelson to make all these ideas f it nicely together. On the one hand, he was being taught to use logic to solve problems and work out situations. On the other hand, he was also being told to accept certain social and political boundaries that were ingrained into society. And these, he was well aware, were not really logical at all.

While attending Fort Hare, Nelson

took ballroom dancing classes.

DID YOU

KNOW?

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Being clear about his ideas helped Nelson to develop a new sense of independence. In his second year at Fort Hare he was elected to the Student Representative Council. When the university administration refused to grant the council some of the authority the council believed it should have, Nelson resigned in protest. He had the power to do that—but the university had power, too. The principal chose to send him home early for what he called insubordination.

Insubordination means to disobey an order from a higher authority. The headmaster judged that Nelson was insubordinate when he resigned from the school council.

What is insubordination?

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Chief Jongintaba was surprised and displeased to see Nelson come home before his term at Fort Hare was over. He made it clear to Nelson that he, the chief, was in charge of Nelson’s life. The boy should simply do as he was told. To make this point even clearer, the chief soon informed Nelson that he had chosen a wife for him to marry.

Now it was Nelson’s turn to be surprised. He didn’t know if arranging a marriage was the chief ’s way of reminding him who was the boss in their relationship or whether he genuinely thought this young woman was the perfect partner for Nelson. Either way, he knew better

ARRANGED MARRIAGE

It was common in many societies (and still is in some cultures today) for parents or guardians to

arrange the marriages of their children. The reasons behind the matchmaking were often quite practical. Money was a common factor, because the fortunes of two families would be joined together by the union. Or it might be that the two pairs of parents simply liked the idea of their families becoming related through marriage.

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than to argue because, as his guardian, the chief had the traditional right to arrange such a marriage. Yet that didn’t mean Nelson would meekly accept his decision. Nelson was stubborn, just as his father had been, but he knew he could not refuse the arranged marriage and continue to live under the chief ’s roof. His only alternative would be to run away.

And so, in 1941, at the age of 22, he did.

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In Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, Nelson believed he might be able to improve his social status and achieve his goals. He was also very excited to see a place he had heard so much about. In his mind the city had almost a mythical status.

Fighting for a causeWhen Nelson decided to run away, there was

no question about where he would go. His

destination was Johannesburg.

Chapter 5

The city of Johannesburg as it looked in the 1940s

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Johannesburg was not simply a larger version of a town. He had been told stories of “buildings so tall you could not see the tops, of crowds of people speaking languages you had never heard of . . .” What should he do once he got to

Johannesburg? Nelson wasn’t sure. He hadn’t done much

planning in advance, so it took him some time to settle in. He worked as a night watchman in a mine and as a real estate agent while he

f inished his college degree with courses he completed through the mail.

For all the time that he was growing up, Nelson had always imagined himself returning home to Qunu at some point to take up a career. In 1943, he enrolled in law school because it seemed like the logical next step,

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“Johannesburg had always been depicted as a city of dreams, a place where one could transform oneself

from a poor peasant to a wealthy

sophisticate ...”

Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

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but he did not really apply himself to his courses. And, in the end, he did not complete the requirements for graduation.

Nelson had only been in Johannesburg a short time when he started to focus more on political activism. He wanted to change things in the government. The central problem facing black people in South Africa was the crushing oppression they met at every turn. Black people were kept down and not allowed the same opportunities or freedoms that were allowed to others. After the British created the Union of South Africa in 1910, new laws were designed and enforced to keep black people from pursuing any number of careers.

FORGIVE AND FORGET

Toward the end of 1941, Nelson’s guardian, Chief Jongintaba, visited Johannesburg and met with Nelson, forgiving him for running away. Jongintaba died only a few months later.

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It didn’t matter how smart they were or how hard they worked. They were trapped in a web of regulations to keep progress out of reach. Nelson clearly saw the widespread injustice in this system, and he was determined to do something about it and help his people.

To make sure his efforts were as effective as possible, he joined the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC was an organization trying to improve the conditions for black South Africans. Its protests, though, were largely very

NEW LAWS

In 1911, the Mines and Works Act was passed. It meant that black South Africans worked in low-paying jobs. The more skilled, higher-paying jobs, such as surveying, were reserved for whites. Two years later, the Natives Land Act severely limited where black people could own land. Even when they were allowed to own it, this land had little value. It was always set deep in the countryside away from the cities. Could black people hope for change to come through the political process? Not really. The Native Representation Act of 1936 meant that only elite (high-class) black people could vote, the majority couldn’t, and they could only vote for white candidates.

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polite efforts. Petitions would be circulated and signed by black people. These petitions were then submitted to the white authorities, who would either ignore them or bury them in administrative red tape.

The aim of Nelson and his friends was to transform the ANC from a small group

The ANC had its roots in the South African Native National Congress. Some of its members are shown here in 1914.

Red tape is lots of unnecessary paperwork demanded by governments or big businesses. The South African authorities used red tape as a way of avoiding dealing with the petitions.

What does “red tape” mean?

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of intellectual activists into a much larger organization. It would have a mass membership of black people from all over the country. Educated or not, these people had never been given the chance to speak up. They had suffered largely in silence. Maybe now their voices would be heard.

As a first step, Nelson and some others created the African National Congress Youth League in 1944. They intended to change things politically, to make life better for black people. They wanted more rights relating to voting

and land ownership. They called for free

education for all children regardless of their skin color.

Nelson was passionate about these

issues, but he still had a personal life. One of his

friends in the ANC, Walter Sisulu, had a cousin called Walter Sisulu

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Evelyn who was a nurse. She and Nelson soon started dating, and a few months later they were married. For now the pieces of Nelson’s life had fallen into place. Yet even though those pieces seemed to fit together well, it was not clear how long they would continue to do so.

Nelson and Evelyn, as bridesmaid, were guests at Walter Sisulu’s wedding.

This is Evelyn.

Here’s Nelson.

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These prohibitions, bad as they were, soon became much worse. In 1948 the new all-white Afrikaner National Party took control of the government. Soon after that, South Africa made into law the policy of apartheid.

Apartheid formally separated black people from white people in many ways. It kept people apart politically, socially, and economically on the basis of their race. Black people would now have to live in separate areas from whites. Marriages between them were banned. Black South Africans were also separated from one another by their tribal backgrounds.

Revolutionary thoughtsNelson had opposed many South African laws

because they kept black people from freely

improving their lives.

Chapter 6

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PROTESTS AGAINST APARTHEID

At first, there was little response from other countries to South Africa’s new policy of apartheid. However, some people did form groups to protest. Unfortunately, although these protests received some attention, the laws remained in force.

People protesting against racial discrimination in London, England

This was a political strategy, or plan. If tribes were kept apart, they were unlikely to ever come together to threaten the existing authority.

The government did not even pretend that these changes were at all for the benefit or the good of black people. It was cold and

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ruthless in its mission to put black people in their place and keep them there. No change, no new regulation, that would achieve this was too outrageous to propose.

Although the white people of South Africa were comfortable with apartheid because of their sense of superiority, there was another

LAND REFORMS

A few years later, in the 1950s, further steps were taken to strengthen white control. Black people were often forcibly removed from the parts of the countryside where they had lived for generations. The land they left behind was then sold to white farmers at artif icially low prices. As white people became increasingly wealthier than black people, whites gained even more control of the country.

For sale

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reason they wanted these new laws in place. That reason was fear. For all of the power they held over black South Africans, white people were still a minority when it came to actual numbers. This knowledge made them nervous. To overcome this fear, they tried to build up as much support from the legal system as they could get.

As things turned out, the new policies triggered huge outrage. The black activists living in South Africa reacted to apartheid with renewed energy.

In 1949, the ANC pushed hard to become a much bigger organization. No longer would its members be content to politely raise their hands when objecting to government policies. Previously, the ANC had tried to keep their protests within legal bounds—an approach that had clearly not brought them much success. Their new strategy would call for more action.

DID YOU KNOW?

South African religious leaders supported apartheid.

They claimed that white Afrikaners were God’s chosen people and that black South

Africans were inferior.

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Nelson Mandela and the other activists were gathered up in raids around the country and arrested for their allegedly treasonous activities. Eventually all of the accused were set free.

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They would focus on passive resistance. This meant that their protests would not use violence. There were risks in taking even non-violent actions, but Nelson and his colleagues were willing to accept those risks.

In the next few years, Nelson was repeatedly arrested for joining in protests around the country. In 1952, he was one of the leaders of the ANC’s Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws. Nelson was committed to protesting against apartheid whatever the price he might personally have to pay. He worked with the ANC and other organizations to write the Freedom Charter, which set out rules for a fairer society. This led, in 1956–1961, to Nelson and 155 activists being unsuccessfully prosecuted for treason.

In 1952, Nelson founded a law f irm with Oliver Tambo, a friend from his former school days. Their aim was not to Oliver Tambo

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make money, although some payment would have certainly been welcome since neither of them had independent sources of income. Their main purpose was to provide free or low cost legal representation to black people in need.

All of this activity, however, came at a price for his family. Nelson’s f ight against injustice for black South Africans consumed him. Nelson remembered later that it was during this period when his wife, Evelyn, told him that their “elder son, Thembi, then five,

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had asked her, ‘Where does Daddy live?’ I had been returning home late at night, long after he had gone to sleep,

and departing early in the morning before

he woke.”Evelyn harbored resentments of her own.

Certainly, she had married Nelson for love, but her dreams differed from his. Evelyn had expected that his life would be a normal one devoted to his family and a regular job. Nelson wrote that she could not live with him being devoted to something apart from herself and her family. The harder Nelson worked, the more their relationship suffered. They managed to stay together for a few more years, but were finally divorced in 1958.

DID YOU KNOW?

Thembi’s formal name was Thembekile, which means “faithful” in Zulu.

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However, there was a problem. This hope was based on the idea that the government would actually want to be shown the error of its prejudiced ways. The South African government wasn’t actually interested in seeing this at all. They knew their laws were prejudiced against black South Africans. They knew that these laws would oppress, or keep down, black people and keep them serving the needs of white people. The truth was, they liked things that way.

Raising the stakesNelson had been committed to non-violent

protest. His hope was that the government

would see the error of its prejudiced ways.

Chapter 7

Prejudice is having unfair feelings against certain people. The government was prejudiced against black South Africans.

What does “prejudice” mean?

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SHARPEVILLE MASSACRE

On March 21, 1960, a crowd of several thousand protesters went to the local police station at Sharpeville in the Transvaal. Although the crowd was unarmed, police of f icers opened f ire. They continued to shoot even as the crowd f led in fear. Sixty-nine people were killed and more than 400 were wounded, including women and children. Even under the laws of apartheid, the massacre created a crisis for the government.

Nelson and his comrades began to feel that non-violent actions were not the answer. In 1960, a peaceful protest ended in the police shooting dead many protesters. It became known as the Sharpeville Massacre. This terrible event helped confirm to Nelson and his fellow activists that more violent steps were now necessary.

The activists knew that using violence would be dangerous, and they were afraid for their own

Black protesters being fired on by police

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safety. However, as Nelson later wrote, “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

It was just a few years earlier that Nelson had met Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela. She was the first black female social worker ever trained in South Africa and an active member of the ANC. As Nelson later wrote, “I cannot say for certain if there is such a thing as love at f irst sight, but I do know that the moment I f irst glimpsed Winnie Nomzamo, I knew that I wanted to have her as my wife.”

Unlike Nelson’s first wife, Evelyn, Winnie was well aware of Nelson’s priorities. His law practice was not going well, but he was unwilling to sacrifice any of the time he was devoting to the ANC. He told Winnie that they would very likely have to live on her small salary as a social worker. Winnie understood and was prepared to do this.

Eventually, after years of peaceful protests, and no changes by the government, Nelson

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Nelson married Winnie on June 14, 1958. They later had two children together.

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saw violent protest as the only way to get the white minority to listen. In 1961, new tactics began, including planting bombs in places like electrical plants or transportation facilities. Nelson did not pretend that these actions were not violent. However, targets were chosen to avoid loss of life as much as possible.

During this time, warrants were issued for Nelson’s arrest. His many friends and supporters helped keep him hidden. He also escaped capture by sometimes traveling in disguise. At one point he drove around the country giving speeches while pretending to be a chauffeur.

However, Nelson’s luck finally ran out. He was captured in August 1962 and accused of

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False travel documents used by Nelson in 1962

various crimes against the state. At his trial he did not really defend himself. (He actually agreed that he was guilty of the charges.) Instead, he concentrated on promoting the ANC cause. His actions were reluctant ones, he insisted. Desperate times, he argued, called for desperate actions.

The court did not agree. Nelson was sentenced to five years in prison. However, the next year he was found to be connected to other illegal activities against the government. The charges were serious. Once more he was accused of sabotage. A second trial took place between October 1963 and June 1964.

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Outside the court, a large crowd gathered to protest. Toward the end of the trial, Nelson made an impassioned speech. His words rang out, not only in the courtroom, but also later throughout the country and around the world.

“During my lifetime,” he stated, “I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I

To destroy or damage a plan or property. The revolutionaries sabotaged power plants to stop them from working.

What does “sabotage” mean?

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hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

When the verdict was announced, Nelson and the others were found guilty. They were sentenced to life imprisonment. It was a scary moment. If the sentences were carried out, only death would set them free.

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The island had long been used as a place for people who were classed as “undesirables”—people who were not wanted. It had once been a colony for people who suffered from the disease of leprosy. Usually, though, Robben Island served as a jail for political prisoners and convicted criminals. And that was its purpose

when Nelson was sent there in 1964.Nelson and six fellow prisoners

faced a diff icult journey to the island.They were taken away in the middle of the night, under heavy police

guard. They soon arrived at a small military airport and boarded

Life behind bars Robben Island lies little more than

4 miles (6.5 km) off the lower west

coast of South Africa.

Chapter 8

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This is how the entrance to the Robben Island prison looks today. It is no longer used to keep prisoners, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site that is open to visitors.

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an old plane. The prisoners were frightened, some had never f lown before.

Upon arriving on the island, Nelson and the other prisoners were met by armed guards. Nelson remembered the chill winter wind blowing through their thin prison uniforms.

Nelson was initially classified as the lowest grade of prisoner—Class D. This meant that he was allowed one visit and one letter every six months. At first Nelson was housed with several other prisoners, but in later years he lived alone in a small, damp concrete cell. When Nelson lay down, he could feel one wall at his feet while the other end grazed the top of his head. The cell had no mattress or bed, only a f lat straw mat to sleep on. As for the food, Nelson later recorded his opinion. He recalled that the authorities liked to say that prisoners received a balanced diet. Nelson agreed that it was balanced—a balance between tasteless and being uneatable.

Every morning, Nelson, along with the other prisoners, waited while a load of stones

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was dumped on the ground outside. Each one was about as big as a volleyball. The prisoners’ job was to crush the stones into gravel using a hammer.

Nine months later, Nelson began working at a limestone quarry. There he extracted limestone from layers of rock

This was Nelson Mandela’s prison cell on Robben Island.

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with a pick and shovel. The commander in charge assured the prisoners that this kind of heavy labor would last for six months

at most. That turned out to be a lie. The prisoners

worked at the quarry for much longer than six months—they worked there for 13 years.

Physical hardships were not the only worries. A prisoner’s mental health was always vulnerable. No matter how strong-willed the prisoners were, the prison environment was designed to break them. If the men had been isolated, or kept alone, they might not have been able to survive. Fortunately the authorities kept the prisoners together, and being together, they could draw on mutual support.

Even though he was in prison, Nelson continued to work hard to support people.

DID YOU KNOW?

At f irst, Nelson was forbidden to wear sunglasses, and the

glare from the limestone permanently damaged

his eyesight.

64

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“We supported each other and

gained strength from each other.

Whatever we knew, whatever

we learned, we shared ...”

From Nelson’s autobiography, Long

Walk to Freedom

65

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He offered guidance and leadership to many of his fellow inmates, representing them in grievances with prison authorities. Gradually, his living conditions improved. In the 1970s, he was allowed more visitors and greater freedom to correspond by mail.

Meanwhile, the force of apartheid continued to oppress black South Africans. On June 16,

High-school students in Soweto, South Africa, protesting for a better education in 1976

66

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1976, between 10,000 and 20,000 children marched in protest in the township of Soweto. The crowd was peaceful and unarmed, but the police became alarmed and eventually began shooting at them. Twenty-three people died in that f irst response. More protests followed, leading to further deaths.

67

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With Nelson and other leaders in prison, and the ANC barred from the country and in exile, other people took the lead. In the late 1960s another group in South Africa, the Black People’s Convention, arose to challenge the institution of apartheid. One of its leaders was Steve Biko, who was threatened several times by the authorities. Finally arrested in 1977, he was severely beaten while in custody. He died from this attack. His death inspired people to continue to protest even more strongly against apartheid.

Such incidents brought the problems in South Africa to people’s attention all around the world. Boycotts of South African companies were organized. This meant that people withdrew from

STEVE BIKO

Steve Biko was born in 1946. He was a member of the Xhosa people in the Eastern Cape, a province of South Africa. While growing up, Steve planned to study law, but he changed his mind and decided

to study medicine at the University of Natal. However, law again became his focus when he struggled against

unjust laws in the f ight against apartheid.

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trading with South Africa. Many foreign leaders protested against the prejudicial system that had been in place for decades. In 1980, the United Nations Security Council called for Nelson’s release. The request was ignored.

Through it all, Nelson’s spirits remained strong. “I never seriously considered the possibility that I would not emerge from prison one day,” he wrote later. “I never thought that a life sentence truly meant life and that I would die behind bars. Perhaps I was denying this prospect because it was too unpleasant to contemplate.”

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Botha, known as “The Great Crocodile,” had the reputation of being a stubborn man. In a major speech given in 1985, Botha refused to change the apartheid system. He

was not going to be the one to change a policy and way of life that had been in place for so many years. He also refused to release Nelson Mandela from prison, despite

requests from many international f igures and organizations.

FreedomAlthough some changes to apartheid took place

in the 1980s, the government under President

P. W. Botha continued to oppress black people.

Chapter 9

P. W. Botha

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Both these decisions sparked strong reactions

from the international community. Many countries were now punishing South

Africa for its policies by refusing to invest

in South African companies. Many international corporations

withdrew support as well. The rest of the world was waking up and paying attention to what was happening in South Africa.

Only when a new president, F. W. de Klerk, was elected in 1989, however, did dramatic changes occur. Originally viewed as simply the latest in a long line of apartheid-supporting leaders, de Klerk surprised many onlookers with a more understanding outlook. De Klerk was well aware that the tensions between black and white South Africans were growing. The country might soon erupt into a racial civil war. If that happened, South Africa would be torn apart.

Nelson’s 70th birthday in 1988 was marked with a concert in the UK that was televised around the world, with 200 million

people watching.

DID YOU KNOW?

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To lessen those tensions, the de Klerk government began allowing anti-apartheid groups to meet. Most importantly, he ordered the release of prisoners who had been convicted for their anti-apartheid activities. Among them was Nelson Mandela.

During the 27 years Nelson had spent in prison, the world had changed in many ways. Important civil rights acts had been passed in the United States. People had landed on the moon. An American president had been forced to resign in disgrace. The Soviet Union had fallen apart. Nations that had belonged to the

Soviet Union had again become independent countries.

Also, while in prison, Nelson had suffered two terrible losses. In 1968, his mother died. Just a

year later, his eldest son,

In Soweto, an overjoyed boy holds up a newspaper announcing Nelson’s release from prison. It made headline news around the world.

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Thembi, died in a car accident. Nelson was not allowed to attend the funerals.

Nelson’s release in February 1990 ushered in a new era in South African life. He had already met with President de Klerk during the last months of his imprisonment, which helped make sure that de Klerk made good on his promise to dismantle some apartheid restrictions.

One of the f irst places Nelson visited as a free man was Soweto, the scene of so much violence and unhappiness. There, 120,000 people gathered to hear him speak. Nelson spoke plainly. Injustice, he insisted, was no excuse for unacceptable behavior.

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As he emerged from prison, with Winnie by his side, Nelson raised his fist in the traditional ANC salute. The act was met with a great roar from the waiting crowd.

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Nelson said that he had heard of criminals pretending to be political activists, preying on innocent people and setting alight vehicles. These criminals had no place in the struggle against apartheid. Violence was not the answer—they must move forward peacefully.

Within a few months Nelson was hard at work within the ANC to build on the changes that President de Klerk had started to set up. He also traveled abroad, meeting with many foreign leaders including Pope John Paul II, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom, and Presidents George H. W. Bush of the United States, Fidel Castro of Cuba, and François Mitterrand of France.

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Several conferences that sought to move things forward were then held within South Africa, but it was unclear at first what the outcome might be. Some South Africans wanted things to continue the way they had before. Others wanted South Africa broken up into more than one country as a way to ensure that black people would have their proper rights.

Several uncertain years passed before the government took on a new shape, one that Nelson and the ANC had worked to create and could support. After more than three centuries

WINNIE MANDELA

When Winnie Madikizela married Nelson, she was viewed as a supportive partner who shared his political views. She appeared loyal during his many years in prison. However, stories reached Nelson that Winnie had been unfaithful. He also heard that she was involved with a violent street gang in her f ight against apartheid. In 1995, Nelson dismissed Winnie from her role in his government. Their marriage finally broke down in 1992, and they divorced in 1996.

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of rule, the white minority was admitting defeat and turning over power to the black majority. In April 1994 new elections were

held, and the ANC was swept in to power. Members

of the new National Assembly then formally elected Nelson as the country’s first black president. It was a truly historic moment, but as Nelson himself said, it did not represent the end of his quest. “We have not taken the f inal step of our journey,” he said, “but the first step on a longer and even more difficult road.”

In 1994, Nelson’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, much of which

was written in prison, was published.

DID YOU KNOW?

78

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“… to be free is

not merely to cast off one’s chains,

but to live in a way that respects and enhances the

freedom of others.”

Nelson Mandela, from his autobiography,

Long Walk to Freedom

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Nelson had suffered from both tuberculosis and cancer before assuming the presidency. Still, he felt full of new energy at the idea of f inally getting rid of apartheid, which had plagued his country for so long. Nelson made a powerful speech when he was sworn in as president: “The time for the healing of

Revolutionary idealsThe new president of South Africa was 77 years

old when he took office. The years Nelson had

spent in prison had taken a physical toll.

Chapter 10

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wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divided us has come. The time to build is upon us. We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation.” Nelson meant by this that his people had achieved political freedom.

In a way, Nelson’s goal was simple. He wanted to make sure that black people and white people were treated equally. However, achieving this goal would not be simple at all. It was daunting. Nelson did not want to swap one kind of oppression for another, and he didn’t want to use force to bluntly and perhaps violently achieve the changes he wanted. He knew certain changes required patience and a delicate touch. “In nation building,” he wrote, “you sometimes need a bulldozer, and sometimes a feather duster.”

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He was also not seeking revenge. The past was f illed with outrages and injustices, but he couldn’t change the past––although if there were injustices that could be addressed and corrected he certainly wanted to do so. He knew that instituting, or making into law, a new round of punishments would only make people feel bitter on both sides.

What President Mandela hoped and worked for was a peaceful transition, or change, to a new South African reality. He didn’t want to punish white people for their past behavior. At the same time he made it clear that this behavior would no longer be tolerated.

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Nelson stands to attention as the South African national anthem is played during his presidential inauguration at the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, on May 10, 1994.

A supporter waves an ANC flag during Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration.

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Nelson kept a careful balance between compromise and change. He wanted to ensure that basic human needs of housing and health

care were met for everyone, black and white alike. The

policies governing land ownership, for example, which had excluded black people for so long, needed a complete overhaul.

All these changes represented a huge upheaval. Nelson, however, was determined to make these changes while keeping racial harmony between the people. One of Nelson’s largest concerns, or worries, was South Africa’s economic health. The country would be in big trouble if the white population became so afraid or disenchanted that they chose to leave South Africa, taking their skills and resources with them.

Basic services, such as electricity and running

water, were still unavailable to millions of black South

Africans at the time.

DID YOU KNOW?

Disenchanted means to no longer be in favor of something. Nelson was worried that the white people in South Africa might become disenchanted with the new regime.

What is disenchanted?

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“At a time when some of the most vibrant economies in the world have been buffeted by storms, we have

performed relatively well.”

Nelson Mandela, from his New Year’s message as president,

December 31, 1997

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In 1996, two years after becoming president, Nelson signed into law a new constitution. It was a historic moment. Freedom of expression would now be available for anyone and everyone regardless of their political leanings. This meant that people were free to speak out about their beliefs. These changes reflected Nelson’s idea that a government could not only survive, but actually improve, from listening to criticism that might come its way.

Sometimes Nelson found that a symbol of progress could be as powerful and inf luential as any new law. In 1995 South Africa hosted the

CONSTITUTION

A constitution is a set of laws that governs an organization or country. The new South African constitution ensured the government was ruled by the majority, in which all people of all colors and religions were eligible to vote. Those opposing the government would no longer be able to be arrested and imprisoned simply for their beliefs.

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Rugby World Cup. This was a very important step forward for South Africa. Under the rules of apartheid, black people had not been able to play for the national team, the Springboks. Apartheid might now have been abolished, but bad feeling toward the Springboks remained. This was because most people in the team were still white. The Springboks went on to win the cup. Nelson publicly showed his support for

Nelson meeting the South African national rugby team, Springboks, at the Rugby World Cup in May 1995.

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“KICK POLIO OUT OF AFRICA”

Polio is a disease that of ten leads to loss of movement. It continued to af fect people in Africa, especially children, long after it had been removed from most other parts of the world. The campaign against polio encouraged the use of vaccination as a way of getting rid of the disease.

the Springboks and he encouraged all black citizens to follow his example.

Nelson’s interest extended far beyond the South African borders. Whether he wanted it or not, Nelson had become a symbol of Africa as a whole. He used that position to further more

improvements. In a speech helping to launch the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” campaign (which used a soccer ball

as its symbol), he said, “Africa is renowned for its beauty, its rich natural heritage, and huge resources—but equally, the image of its suffering children haunts the conscience of our continent and the world.”

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President Nelson Mandela chats with Deputy President Thabo Mbeki as he attends his last cabinet meeting, on June 9, 1999.

Nelson Mandela’s whole term as president was dominated by moving on from the oppressive regime of the past, which had kept black people down for so long. Now having reached his eighties, Nelson recognized that it was time to step back from daily political responsibilities. He had long maintained that he would serve only one term—and as so many people already knew about Nelson, he was a man of his word.

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He had become much more than a high-ranking government f igure in South Africa. Nelson was now an international celebrity, and he hoped to use his fame and inf luence to further worthy causes. Among the organizations he helped to establish was the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Its mission was to help make a just and free society that treated people with fairness, wherever they came from.

Shifting gears When Nelson retired from political life

in 2004, he was certainly not expecting

to disappear from sight.

Chapter 11

Nelson Mandela and singer and activist Bob Geldof speaking at the

launch of the Make Poverty History campaign rally in London, England, in 2005.

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There was still much Nelson hoped to achieve. He was committed to fighting for human rights around the world. He also fought to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic. The cumulative effects of AIDS had been devastating. More than 30 million people had been infected around the world. Nelson’s son Makhatho died of AIDS in 2005, at the age of 55. Nelson described AIDS as “one of the greatest threats humankind has faced.”

Nelson Mandela with AIDS activist Zackie Achmat

WHAT IS AIDS?

AIDS is an infection that attacks the human body’s immune system (which helps the body keep free from infection). It is caused by the virus HIV. From the 1980s, AIDS had spread rapidly all over the world. Its effects had been particularly deadly in Africa. Nelson dedicated himself to promoting the cause of making lifesaving drugs more widely available.

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Nelson also wanted to spend more time with his family. He could not replace the time he had lost with his children and grandchildren because of prison and his career, but he could at least see them more often now that the daily responsibilities of political life had been removed.

His personal life had also taken another turn. After his divorce from Winnie, he had come to know Graça Machel, a former

Nelson celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by his grandchildren on July 18, 2008.

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education minister in Mozambique. Her husband, Samora Machel, the president of Mozambique, had died in a plane crash in 1986.

Graça was 27 years younger than Nelson, and at f irst they simply became good friends. While Graça continued her humanitarian work on behalf of refugees, her friendship with Nelson deepened as they spent more and more time together. They were f inally married in 1998, just before Mandela’s term as president ended.

GRAÇA MACHEL

Graça Machel was born in 1945 and grew up in the southern African country of Mozambique. She attended the University of Lisbon in Portugal, where she f irst took an interest in issues of independence. When Mozambique declared its independence from Portugal in 1975, she became its f irst Minister for Education and Culture.

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Queen Sofía of Spain talks with Nelson Mandela at a pre-wedding royal dinner in Madrid in 2004.

Nelson Mandela sits with US president George W. Bush in the White House’s Oval Off ice in May 2005.

British prime minister Gordon Brown greets Nelson Mandela at Downing Street, London, in August 2007.

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Although he lacked the energy of earlier years, Nelson still traveled widely and hosted leaders who came to visit him. When speaking at the birthday celebration of his friend Walter Sisulu in 2002, he said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.”

Nelson continued to face a number of health issues. He had survived several bouts with cancer by the time he decided to formally retire from public life in 2004. He then returned to his home in the village of Qunu where he had lived as a boy so many years before.

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From a speech by

Nelson during the 90th

birthday celebrations of

his friend Walter Sisulu

in 2002

“It is what difference we

have made to the lives of others

that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

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But he was not done yet. On his birthday, on July 18, in 2007, Nelson and Graça announced the creation of a new organization, the Elders. Its members were retired political and religious leaders, who viewed themselves as independent world leaders working together for peace and human rights. Membership of the Elders included Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General; Jimmy Carter, former United States President; and Li Zhaoxing, former Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China. The group’s small size ref lected Nelson’s preference for one-on-one meetings over large organized gatherings. In the years since, they have worked to promote women’s equality and dealt with humanitarian crises such as famine.

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Nelson’s reputation as a worldwide champion of democracy and social justice was further underscored in 2009. On his birthday that year, the United Nations declared July 18 to be forever known as Nelson Mandela International Day in honor of his contributions to peace and human rights. In keeping with Nelson’s spirit, the day was not meant to be a holiday, but a day devoted to the idea of making the world a better place for everyone who lives in it.

A year later, in 2010, Nelson made his f inal public appearance at the end of the soccer World Cup tournament in South Africa. Three years after that, at the age of 95 on December 5, 2013, Nelson died.

December

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South African fans show their support for Nelson at the opening ceremony ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Nelson and his wife, Graça, wave to the crowd before the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain on July 11.

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Nelson Mandela had lived through the end of World War I, the entirety of World War II, the invention of frozen foods, television, and cell phones. Explorers in his youth were still circling the globe in ships—now astronauts orbited the Earth from space.

Perhaps most of all, Nelson had witnessed the peaceful growth of incredible political and social change in South Africa. The country was hardly perfect. It had some of the same shortcomings as other countries, such as the inequality between rich and poor. But South Africa had fundamentally transformed from the rigid, racially based society of the early 1900s,

Remembered Nelson’s death itself was not a surprise to

his family. They had gathered at his bedside

knowing the end was near.

Chapter 12

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and Nelson had led the charge for that change for more than 70 years.

Upon the news of Nelson’s death, Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, released a statement. He declared that whether in South Africa or somewhere else in the world, people should continue to follow Nelson’s vision of a way of life in which everyone treated one another with respect and fairness. “Let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed, or dispossessed by another.”

CHANGES IN SOUTH AFRICA

By the time of Nelson’s death, South Africa was a vibrant part of the international community. This was only possible because of the changes that had come to South Africa. Black people now had the same political rights as white people, which had enormous social, economic, and cultural consequences.

Jacob Zuma

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Nelson Mandela,

speaking after suffering

from an infection in

his nineties

“When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his country and

his people, he can rest in peace.”

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Tributes quickly poured in from all over the world. “Nelson Mandela’s shining example and his political legacy of non-violence and the condemnation of all forms of racism will continue to inspire people around the world for many years to come,” said German chancellor Angela Merkel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted, “He was the father of his people, a man of vision, a freedom f ighter who rejected violence.” American television talk show host Oprah Winfrey remembered, “Being in his presence was like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time.”

Today in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is often called the “Father of the Nation.” Throughout his life he was certainly happy to accept a compliment, but he would have been the f irst to declare that he was far from perfect. He made mistakes like everyone else—but to the world, perhaps his f laws had faded into the background while his better qualities had stepped to the front.

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A sea of flowers lies at the road’s edge as crowds gather to pay their respects at Nelson Mandela’s Johannesburg home. This was only a few days after the former leader’s death was announced. Although Mandela had been ill for some time, his death still sparked an outpouring of grief and dismay.

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The British leader Winston Churchill, upon hearing one of his opponents described as a modest man, immediately replied that the man had a lot to be modest about. Nelson’s supporters and opponents alike described him as a stubborn man. However, considering the oppression and difficulties he had confronted in his lifetime, truly he had much to be stubborn about, too.

Certainly, Nelson could never have survived so many obstacles without a fierce stubbornness to help him through the hard times. His long life had been marked with hurdles: The early death of his father, his interrupted education, his time as a hunted activist, and,

The largest statue of Nelson Mandela in the world is 26 ft (8 m) high. It stands on Naval Hill in Bloemfontein, the city of roses, in South Africa.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Nelson was often called “Madiba” by close friends

and family. It was a tribal name bestowed as a sign of great respect.

most of all, his 27 years in prison, would have broken a lesser man.

Yet this same stubbornness, fed by his faith in the righteousness of his ideals, had not led to anger or resentment. No one would have faulted Nelson for seeking revenge against those who had unjustly harmed him. But Nelson stubbornly resisted taking that path as well. Given what he had endured, he was also the most forgiving of men.

MADIBA SHIRT

The Madiba shirt, made popular by Nelson, is made of silk and usually has a bold and colorful print. The shirt was named af ter Nelson’s nickname. He wore them often, to social gatherings and more formal business or political meetings. People still wear the Madiba shirt today.

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He wrote, “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Nelson Mandela believed that people, whatever their faults, are capable of doing better. Nelson, and the people that he guided, brought freedom and fairness to South Africa and set an example for peace that has inspired others all over the world.

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Nelson’sfamily tree

First wife

Evelyn Ntoko Mase1922–2004

Madiba Thembekile

Mandela1945–1969

Makaziwe Mandela1948–1948

(aged nine months)

Magkatho Lewanika Mandela1950–2005

Pumla Makaziwe Mandela

1954–

DaughterDaughter

SonSon

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Third wife

Second

wife

Daughter

Father

Mother

Graça married Nelson in 1998.

Gadla Henryunknown–1930

Zenani Dlamini1959–

Zindzi Mandela1960–

Graça Machel1945–

Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe

Madikizela1936–2018

Fanny Nosekeni

unknown–1968

Daughter

Nelson Rolihlahla (khol-ee- HLAA-hlaa)

Mandela1918–2013

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Timeline

Nelson Mandela is born in Mvezo, South Africa, on July 18.

1918

19441930

1948

Nelson goes to live with Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo at the Great Place, in Mqhekezweni (mu-KEH-zuh-when-ee).

Nelson and others found the African National Congress

Youth League. They plan to push

for equality for black people.

The all-white Afrikaner National

Party makes apartheid law in

South Africa. Nelson will spend

much of his life fighting against this

racist policy.

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19521958 19621960

Nelson is arrested and accused of crimes against the state. He is

sentenced to five years in prison.

Nelson is one of the leaders of the ANC’s Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws.

Nelson marries Winnie Madikizela on June 14.

Nelson starts a law firm with his school friend, Oliver Tambo, to give free or low-cost legal services to black people in need.

On March 21, in the township of Sharpeville, police open fire on a crowd of unarmed protesters, killing 69 people. It became known as the Sharpeville Massacre.

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1988 19901976

Nelson is tried for more crimes against the government. He is sentenced to life imprisonment and is sent to Robben Island.

Nelson turns 70 in prison. A concert in the UK celebrates

his birthday, and 200 million people around the world tune

in to watch it on television.

On June 16, police shoot at an unarmed crowd of

children marching in protest in the township of Soweto. Twenty-three people die.

After 27 years, Nelson is released

from prison.

1963–1964

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1993 1994 200920042013

Nelson, jointly with South African president F. W. de Klerk, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

New, free elections are held in South Africa. The ANC wins, and Nelson is elected president.

On July 18, the United Nations declares Nelson’s birthday to be Nelson Mandela International Day in honor of his contributions to peace and human rights.

After many health issues, Nelson formally retires from public life.

On December 5, at 95 years old,

Nelson dies.

Nelson’s autobiography,

Long Walk to Freedom,

is published.

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Quiz

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

In what year did Dutch colonizers come to South Africa?

What did Nelson’s second wife, Winnie, do for a living when he met her?

When Nelson borrowed his father’s pants to wear to school, what did he use for a belt to hold them up?

What is the name of Nelson’s tribe?

Who was the first white man Nelson shook hands with?

What political group did Nelson join in Johannesburg?

Were white people a majority or a minority in South Africa?

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8

9

10

11

12

What is the name of the prison where Nelson served most of his sentence?

How many years did Nelson spend in prison?

How old was Nelson when he took office as president of South Africa?

At what event did Nelson make his last public appearance?

What name did Nelson’s close friends and family call him?

Do you remember what you’ve read?

How many of these questions about

Nelson’s life can you answer?

Answers on page 128

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Achmat, Zackie (1962–) South African AIDS and gay rights activist

Annan, Kofi (1938–2018) United Nations secretary-general from 1997 to 2006

Biko, Steve (1946–1977) Black People’s Convention leader

Botha, P. W. (1916–2006) prime minister (1978–1984) and then president (1984–1989) of South Africa

Brown, Gordon (1951–) British prime minister from 2007 to 2010

Bush, George H. W. (1924–2018) president of the United States from 1989 to 1993

Bush, George W. (1946–) president of the United States from 2001 to 2009

Castro, Fidel (1926–2016) Cuban revolutionary and president of Cuba until 2008

Dalindyebo, Jongintaba (1865–1923) chief who became Nelson’s guardian after his father’s death

de Klerk, F. W. (1936–) president of South Africa (1989–1994)

Geldof, Bob (1951–) Irish singer and political activist

Harris, Reverend Mr. (unknown) headmaster of Clarkebury Boarding Institute

John Paul II (1920–2005) Pope and head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005

Joyi, Zwelibhangile (swoh-lib-haan-geel) (unknown) chief who visited the Great Place

Who’s who?

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Machel, Graça (1945–) first education minister in free Mozambique, and Nelson’s third wife

Mandela, Gadla Henry (unknown–1930) Nelson’s father

Mandela, Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela (1936–2018) social worker, political activist, and Nelson’s second wife

Mandela, Nosekeni Fanny (unknown–1968) Nelson’s mother

Mbeki, Thabo (1942–) president of South Africa from 1999 to 2008

Mdingane, Miss (unknown) Nelson’s f irst teacher

Meligqili (mel-leek-qwee-lee) (unknown) chief who spoke at Nelson’s manhood ceremony

Mitterrand, François (1916–1996) president of France from 1981 to 1995

Nelson, Admiral Lord (1758–1805) British naval hero

Ntoko Mase, Evelyn (1922–2004) Nelson’s f irst wife

Sisulu, Walter (1912–2003) Nelson’s friend in the African National Congress, cousin of his f irst wife

Sofía, Queen (1938–) queen of Spain

Tambo, Oliver (1917–1993) Nelson’s school friend with whom he started a law f irm in 1952

Thatcher, Margaret (1925–2013) British prime minister from 1979 to 1990

Zuma, Jacob (1942–) president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018

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Glossaryadminister put something into effect, like a law

advised gave advice to someone

AIDS infection that attacks the human immune system, which helps keep the body free from infection

ant-heap hard dirt above an ant colony

apartheid formal political, social, and economic separation on the basis of race

arranged marriage parents or guardians pick marriage partners for their children

benefit something helpful for a person

chasm deep hole in the earth

chauffeur professional driver

colonizer person who creates and controls a new settlement in a foreign land

colony settlement controlled by a more powerful country

condemnation strong statement saying that someone or something is wrong

conscience feeling that you yourself should do the right thing

constitution set of laws that governs an organization or country

discipline using self-control to improve your own behavior

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disenchanted no longer in favor of something

dispossessed people who have had land or belongings taken away from them

domination complete control over someone or something

elite people of a high class

emancipation freedom

exile barred from a country

exploited person or group used unfairly by another person or group for their own advantage

facilities places built for specif ic uses

feint motion used to make an opponent think you are attacking one way before you attack a different way

guardian person who is responsible for a child

HIV virus that causes AIDS

inferior not as good as something or someone

ingrained hard to change

injustice unfair act that goes against someone’s rights

instituting putting into practice or making into law

insubordination disobeying an order from a higher authority

kraal small farm, with just a few animals and crops, that supports a single family

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leprosy disease in which the body wastes away

logic organized and reasoned method of thinking about something

magistrate government off icial who administers certain laws in a specific area

mythical imaginary, or from a made-up story

oppress keep down a certain group of people or a person

parry defend against a blow by pushing it to the side

peasant poor farm worker

plowboy boy who leads a plow

polio disease that often leads to loss of movement

political activism trying to change things in the government

political prisoner someone in jail because of their political beliefs

prejudice unfair feeling against certain people or a person

prohibitions rules that stop people from doing certain things

red tape lots of unnecessary paperwork demanded by governments or big business

ruthless without pity, cruel

sabotage destroy or damage a plan or property

self-sufficient able to survive on your own

shepherd person who cares for sheep

significant important

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slingshot weapon for shooting small stones, made of a V-shaped stick with a handle, and a rubber band

sophisticate person who knows a lot about world art, culture, and literature

status social or political position that a person has compared with others

stern serious in a severe way

strategy plan

superior better than something

thatched made of dried plant material

townships neighborhoods in South Africa that were racially segregated during apartheid; only black people lived in townships

transition change from one state to another

treason trying to overthrow your country’s government

twine type of string made of two or more strings twisted together

undesirable person who is not wanted

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Aa Achmat, Zackie 91 Africa, map of 8 African National Congress (ANC) 40–42, 47–49, 54, 57, 68, 75, 76–78 African National Congress Youth League 42 Afrikaans language 10 Afrikaner National Party 44–47 AIDS epidemic 91 Alice 32 Anglo-Boer War 11 Annan, Kofi 97 anti-apartheid groups 72 apartheid 44–49, 52, 53, 66–68, 70–73, 76, 77, 80, 87 arranged marriages 34–35 Bb Biko, Steve 68 birthdays 71, 92, 95, 97, 98 Black People’s Convention 68 Bloemfontein 106 bombs 56

Botha, P. W. 70–71 boycotts 68–69 British Commonwealth 10 British Empire 10–11 Brown, Gordon 94 Bush, George H. W. 76 Bush, George W. 94 Cc Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws 49 Carter, Jimmy 97 Castro, Fidel 76 Christianity 25 church 24–25, 32 Churchill, Winston 106 Clarkebury Boarding Institute 28–30 clothes 17, 107 colonizers 10–11, 18 Commonwealth 10 constitution 86 Dd de Klerk, F. W. 71–73, 76 diseases 60, 88, 91 Dutch colonizers 10–11 Dutch language 10, 11

Index

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Ee economy 84–85 Elders, the 97 electricity 84 Ff farms 9, 15 FIFA World Cup 98–99 Fort Hare, University College of 32–34 Freedom Charter 49 freedom of expression 86 Gg games 16 Geldof, Bob 90 Great Britain 10 Great Place 21–24 guardians 20, 29, 34, 35, 39 Hh Harris, Rev. Mr. 29 Healdtown 30–32 health care 84 housing 84 human rights 84, 91, 97, 98, 101 huts 14–15 Ii imprisonment 59, 60–66 insubordination 33

Jj Johannesburg 9, 36–39, 105 John Paul II, Pope 76 Jongintaba Dalindyebo, Chief 20–23, 28, 34–35, 39 Joyi, Chief 24 Kk Kick Polio Out of Africa campaign 88 kraals 9, 13, 14–15, 20 Ll land ownership 40, 42, 46, 84 language, Afrikaans 10 language, Bantu 24 law school 37–39 laws 39–40, 44–47, 52, 86 Li Zhaoxing 97 life imprisonment 59, 60–66 Long Walk to Freedom 27, 38, 65, 78, 79 Mm Machel, Graça 92–93, 97, 99 Machel, Samora 93

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Madiba shirt 107 magistrates 12–13 Make Poverty History campaign 90 Mandela, Evelyn 43, 50–51, 54 Mandela, Gadla Henry 8–9, 12–14, 20, 107 Mandela, Makhatho 91 Mandela, Nosekeni Fanny 8, 21, 72 Mandela, Thembi 50–51, 73 Mandela, Winnie 54–55, 74–75, 77, 92 marriages 34–35, 44, 77, 92–93 Mbashe River 9 Mbeki, Thabo 89 Mdingane, Miss 18–19 Meligqili, Chief 25–27 Merkel, Angela 103 Methodist schools 17, 30 Mines and Works Act (1911) 40 Mitterrand, François 76 Mozambique 93 Mqhekezweni 20–24 mud huts 14–15 Mvezo 8–9, 14

Nn names 8, 18–19, 107 National Assembly 78 Native Representation Act (1936) 40 Natives Land Act (1913) 40 Nelson, Admiral Lord 19 Nelson Mandela Foundation 90 Nelson Mandela International Day 98 Netanyahu, Benjamin 103 Ngcobo 28 non-violent protests 49, 52–53, 103 Pp pants 17 polio 88 prejudice 52 president of South Africa 78, 80–84, 89 prisons 57, 59–66, 69, 72–73 protests 49, 52–56, 66–67, 103 Qq quarries 63–64 Qunu 14, 20, 23–24, 37, 95

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Rr red tape 41 retirement 89, 90 rituals 25 Robben Island 60–66 Rolihlahla 8 Rugby World Cup 87–88 Ss sabotage 58 schools 16–19, 28–31 self-sufficiency 15 Sharpeville Massacre 53 shirts, Madiba 107 Sisulu, Walter 42–43, 95, 96 soccer 88, 98 Sofía, queen of Spain 94 South Africa 8 Soviet Union 72 Soweto 66–67, 73 sports 31 Springboks 87–88 stick f ighting 16 superior 18 Tt Tambo, Oliver 49–50 Thatcher, Margaret 76 Thembu tribe 8 thinti 16

toothpaste 30 Transkei 9 treason trial 48 trials 48–49, 57–59 tribes 8, 26, 44–45 troublemaker 8 trousers 17 Uu Union of South Africa 39 United Nations 97, 98 United Nations Security Council 69 United States of America 72 University College of Fort Hare 32–34 Vv voting 40 Ww water supply 84 Winfrey, Oprah 103 Xx Xhosa tribe 26 Zz Zion Christian Church 25 Zuma, Jacob 101

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Acknowledgments

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ ON PAGES 116–117

1. 1652; 2. A rope; 3. The Xhosa; 4. Reverend Mr. Harris, Clarkebury Boarding Institute Headmaster; 5. The African National Congress (ANC); 6. A minority (always have been); 7. She was a social worker; 8. Robben Island; 9. 27; 10. 77; 11. The soccer World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010; 12. Madiba

DK would like to thank Rebekah Wallin for proofreading; Hilary Bird for the index; and Seeta Parmar for additional editorial work.

The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs: (Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-center; f-far; l-lef t; r-right; t-top) 9 Alamy Stock Photo: Gallo Images (tr). 11 Alamy Stock Photo: De Luan (c). 21 Getty Images: Matthew Willman / Gallo Images (b). 22 Unity Archives - Moravian Archives Herrnhut. 30 Alamy Stock Photo: GL Archive (bl). 31 iStockphoto.com: Hipokrat (tr). 36 Getty Images: Popperfoto (b). 41 akg-images: Africa Media Online (t). 42 Getty Images: Universal History Archive / UIG (bl). 43 Alamy Stock Photo: Archive PL (c). 45 Getty Images: Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis (c). 48 Rex by Shutterstock: Sipa. 49 Alamy Stock Photo: Peter Jordan (br). 53 akg-images: Africa Media Online (br). 55 Rex by Shutterstock: Sipa. 57 Alamy Stock Photo: Blaine Harrington III (t). 61 Alamy Stock Photo: Robertharding. 63 Getty Images: Dave Hogan (t). 66–67 Getty Images: Bongani Mnguni / City Press / Gallo Images (b). 68 Rex by Shutterstock: (bl). 70 Alamy Stock Photo: Peter Jordan (bl). 72 Getty Images: Trevor Samson / AFP (bl). 74–75 Getty Images: David Turnley / Corbis / VCG. 77 Getty Images: Bernard Bisson / Sygma (tr). 83 Getty Images: Walter Dhladhla / AFP (t); Hanner Frankenfeld / AFP (b). 87 Getty Images: Gary Benard / AFP (t). 89 Getty Images: Odd Andersen / AFP (t). 90 Getty Images: Photofusion / UIG (b). 91 Getty Images: Anna Zieminski / AFP (br).

92 Getty Images: Themba Hadebe / AFP (t). 93 Getty Images: Per-Anders Pettersson (br). 94 Getty Images: Alberto Martin / AFP (tc); Mannie Garcia (cr); Cate Gillon (bc). 99 Getty Images: Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP (b); Cameron Spencer (t). 101 Getty Images: Unkel / ullstein bild (tr). 104–105 Getty Images: Erhan Sevenler / Anadolu Agency. 106 Dreamstime.com: Grobler Du Preez. 109 Getty Images: Louise Gubb / Corbis SABA. 111 Getty Images: Chris Jackson (cr)

Cover images: Front: Alamy Stock Photo: Inter foto b; Spine: Alamy Stock Photo: Inter foto ca All other images © Dorling Kindersley For further information see: www.dkimages.com

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